Their Majesties the King and Queen today visited Brecon Cathedral, where a private service was in motion.

At 12pm this afternoon, King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Brecon Cathedral, to mark the Centenary Year of Brecon Cathedral.

They met with cathedral representatives and organisers of the Brecon Choir Festival. They were greeted by local children from Priory Church in Wales, before heading inside to meet members of the community who are involved in the life of the Cathedral, including Friends of Brecon Cathedral, which His Majesty was Patron of as Prince of Wales.

The King and Queen entered the Cathedral and met members of the congregation. Taking a seat, they enjoyed a programme of music by performers from the Brecon Choir Festival, including the winner of the Young Singer Awardsinging the Benedictus from Rod Paton’s Ascension Jazzmass. The Ascension Jazzmass was originally commissioned to celebrate 150 years of Bishop Otter College.

Their Majesties visit to Brecon coincided with the first day of the festival, which takes place from the 20th – the 23rd July.

The King and Queen watched a solo performance from the Ascension Jazzmass, which is the opening concert of this year’s festival. It was accompanied by members from The Ascension and Cathedral choirs as well as musicians who are students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, of which His Majesty was long-standing President as Prince of Wales.

The Brecon Choir Festival showcases some of Wales’ most established and upcoming talent, run by a team of volunteers passionate about Welsh choir and choral singing.After a successful launch year in 2022, the second Brecon Choir Festival has even more concerts and talks, shining a spotlight on young singers and choirs from further afield.2023 has also seen the launch of their Young Singers Award which saw many applicants of a high standard.

The eventual winner was Erin Thomas who has also recently won Dunvant Singer of the Year and took part in a Cardiff Singer of the World masterclass on the BBC.When they departed, the church bells rang, and the school children waved Their Majesties goodbye.

Brecon Cathedral works in partnership with Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees, The Fathom Trust (the trust holds workshops every week in the cathedral’s Tithebarn to help those with mental health complexities), and Brecon Mind’s Green Minds Ecotherapy initiative.Most recently, the Cathedral has been awarded National Heritage Lottery funding for repair, reordering and improved interpretation and accessibility for all.

Their Majesties last visited the Cathedral in July 2012.